As an automotive company in constant evolution, Renault Group is profoundly redefining the design of its vehicles, by rethinking how they are conceived. In an exclusive series entitled “Design Talks”, Gilles Vidal, Renault Brand Design Director, welcomes guests to talk about their inspirations, emotions, what defines design today and how this translates into Renault vehicles. In this third instalment on sound design, Gilles welcomes artist, composer and author Jean-Michel Jarre to Maison 5, where they discuss the evolution of sound design in the electric age, where sound must envelop silence while making a strong contribution to brand identity.
Tune in for this episode on sound as a vector of emotion, with a third protagonist, the new Renault 5 E-Tech electric.
Tune in for this episode on sound as a vector of emotion, with a third protagonist, the new Renault 5 E-Tech electric.
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MotorTranscript
00:00For decades, we had the impression that we were in a car, that we were isolating ourselves from the outside world.
00:11In fact, when you get into an electric car, it's the opposite.
00:15I feel like I'm connected to the outside world.
00:17The sound design takes on a major importance in today's vehicles, perhaps even more than yesterday.
00:23You have to create something original that fulfills the regulatory specifications to indicate the presence of the vehicle,
00:31but with a particular signature, with a particular soul.
00:34That is to say that when you are a musician, you must have an optimal knowledge of the instrument on which you play.
00:42Today, my instrument is, for example, the Renault 5.
00:46What strikes me in the design of the R5 is that the stopped car already gives you an impression of movement.
00:53It's a call to mobility, and the sound of the welcome invites you to travel.
01:04A brand has values, it has roots, it is potentially timeless, even if it has the right to transform itself.
01:08You have to respect the heritage, you have to respect the identity of the brand and still bring it something new.
01:13Today, the R5 is a pop brand, which is quite disruptive.
01:17When we talk about pop, pop culture and popularity, that's it.
01:20It's about delivering a vehicle that goes towards ecology, towards electric solutions.
01:26But on top of that, you have to make sure that the vehicle is ultra-attractive, sexy, sparkling, explosive.
01:32And that's all you have to be able to generate.
01:35And so, in terms of sound, calling a musician, I think it's a good idea,
01:40is that I can also bring, if I dare say so, a dose of poetry.
01:46The importance of the sound design from the pedestrian point of view is first of all a security element.
01:51How to avoid adding pollution while being recognizable and at the same time embodied?
01:56You have to tend towards this kind of grain, to resonate harmoniously with the environment in which you are.
02:03For the welcome sounds, I used synth sounds that are a bit like 80s sounds,
02:08but in a more current style.
02:13It shouldn't be too intrusive, you have to forget about it and gradually appropriate it.
02:18The sound design sublimates the relationship between image and sound.
02:21And for me, it's the ears that open the eyes.